Archive for the 'Todd Mcshay' Tag Under 'USC' Category

Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. projects “safety” Su’a Cravens to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 19. That would mean back-to-back first-round Trojans for Chip Kelly, who took receiver Nelson Agholor with the 20th pick last week.

Here’s what McShay wrote about Cravens (ESPN Insider subscription required to see the entire mock draft):

McShay also has USC center Max Tuerk going to the Seattle Seahawks and Pete Carroll with the 32nd selection. It’s logical on several fronts, as McShay writes:

Of course, all of this should be taken with a gargantuan grain of salt – a boulder of salt, if such a thing exists. Even McShay describes the assignment as among his least favorite and concedes he hasn’t done full tape studies on any of the prospects in his initial ’16 mock.

NFL mock drafts are fun, irresistible yet invariably inaccurate. The relatively new spring phenomenon known as “way too early” mock drafts, well, those are complete crapshoots (with emphasis on the first part of that word).

Unless you’re a potential pro taking out an insurance policy, a la Marqise Lee, those WTE mocks mean absolutely nothing. But they can have a dangerous side effect: creating unrealistic expectations.

Back in the spring of 2008, USC defensive tackle Fili Moala fell victim to that malady. ESPN’s Todd McShay projected Moala as the No. 1 overall pick in the ’09 draft.

It was just that – a projection. And a long-range one at that. No draft analyst I know of feels comfortable about those WTE mocks. It’s something their editors make them do because, no matter how worthless they are, we will consume them. Outside of hot chicks, there’s no better click bait.

Moala did not (could not?) live up to the expectations created by McShay, who, at the very least, is a tastemaker because of his high-profile status at ESPN. Moala ended up going 56th to Indianapolis, where he has enjoyed a decent career.

At one point, USC's Matt Kalil and Iowa's Riley Reiff were neck and neck as the top two offensive tackles in the 2012 NFL draft. After the combine and their pro-day workouts, Kalil has separated himself from Reiff. One of the biggest factors: arm length.

In the game of inches that is football, that seemingly insignificant difference can be a huge factor when trying to slow down a speed rusher.

"I think arm length is a very important trait to play on the edges -- it really helps with recovery," Pro Football Weekly draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki said. "It really allows tackles to handle speed, which is so important on the left side. When those measurements came in shorter, I think it was one of the concerns with Riley. If you look at his overall athletic ability, it didn't appear great either.

Just a few months into Tyron Smith's USC career, Pete Carroll said the young offensive tackle could do things he hadn't seen someone at his position do before. Three years later and we're about to find out how much the NFL agrees.

Smith is a consensus top-20 pick in the 2011 NFL draft, landing at No. 18 (San Diego Chargers) in Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft and No. 19 (New York Giants) in Todd McShay's. During a Wednesday morning conference call with McShay, the ESPN draft guru said he could see Smith going much higher.

"I think Tyron Smith is the most underrated offensive linemen in this draft," McShay said. "It won't shock me if he goes in the top 10. ... He's continuing to develop physically. He has good natural balance. He's trying to add bulk now, he's over 300 pounds, which is where you'd like to see him at the combine. He's really impressive with what he can do."

What could keep Smith out of the top 10 is the fact that he starred at the less glamorous right tackle position. But McShay looks at that as a testament to the ability of USC left tackle Matt Kalil.

"You'd like to see (Smith) with that experience at left tackle," McShay said. "But they have a great young talent there in (Ryan) Kalil's brother. That's not a bad reason why."

Coach Lane Kiffin singled out junior Armond Armstead as the standout of the defense with spring practice about to conclude.

Kiffin said Armstead "has had a phenomenal camp" and lumped him with receiver Ronald Johnson as players who "will be front-line guys, potential dominant players."

Former coach Pete Carroll saw greatness in Armstead as a 295-pound strong-side defensive end. But he was never quite right after breaking a bone in his left foot during fall camp before his sophomore season.

Armstead has begun his junior season on the right foot, if you'll excuse the pun. With his size and strength, he's extremely tough to run against. When the Trojans' run game bounced back in last week's scrimmage, it did so against a defense that was missing Armstead, who sat out because of a minor injury.